The commander-in-chief of Russia’s Air Force says a recent attack on a Russian fighter jet in the Syrian airspace by Turkish warplanes had been planned in advance.

According to Russia Today, Colonel General Viktor Bondarev made the remarks on Friday, insisting that the strike had been an intentional one and calling it an “unprecedented backstab”.

On Tuesday, Turkish fighter jets shot down a Sukhoi Su-24M, which Ankara accused of having violated Turkish air space. Russia rejects any such violation.

Bondarev pointed to the readiness of the Turkish media to report on the matter, saying it did not take the outlets long after the attack to release a professionally-made video of the incident.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has called the attack an act of betrayal by a country Moscow considered to be its friend, saying it is impossible for the Turkish Air Force not to have recognized the Russian plane.

Putin has said that Turkey must ensure that such an incident never happens again. In Thursday remarks at a presser with visiting French President Francois Hollande by his side, Putin said Ankara is instead offering “unintelligible explanations and statements that there is nothing to apologize about.”

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